Level three water restrictions are already in force in Dargaville. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf
Frustrated Dargaville residents say they are being denied a proper Kiwi Christmas due to the early imposition of water restrictions.
The town's ratepayers association says successive councils have failed to plan ahead or invest in basic infrastructure - but the council says changing government policies on water have thrown any plans into disarray.
The Kaipara District Council has today imposed level three water restrictions in Dargaville and the coastal settlement of Baylys Beach, which is just one step away from the strictest water restrictions possible.
Under level three restrictions, households connected to the town supply are banned from using hoses, sprinklers or lawn irrigation systems. Using a hose or water blaster to wash vehicles, windows, buildings and paving is also banned, as is using the town supply to fill swimming pools.
Under level four, water may be used only for essential cooking and hygiene purposes.
While water restrictions are common in the Kaipara District, this summer's jump to level three is unusually early - last summer it took until 12 February.
Dargaville Ratepayers and Residents Association chair Rose Dixon said people were frustrated because water restrictions were an almost annual occurrence.
"I'm finding a lot of people are saying stuff like, 'The council's known about the issue for over a decade, why haven't they done anything about it?' So they're saying they're just going to ignore the rules and use the water anyway because they pay for it, the council's had plenty of time to sort it out, and they haven't," she said.
"It's just another stress factor that you don't need at Christmas time. The typical Kiwi Christmas where you bring out the barbecue, the water slide and the hose, and have fun in the backyard - we've not been able to do that for nearly a decade now. We've not been able to have a quintessential Kiwi summer, and I just don't think that's fair."
Dargaville Ratepayers and Residents Association chair Rose Dixon says locals are frustrated by annual water restrictions. Photo: Peter de Graaf/RNZ
Kaipara District Council principal infrastructure advisor Anin Nama said the new restrictions would help make sure everyone had enough water for their daily needs.
"We all need everyone to play their part and make our water last as long as possible," he said.
Nama suggested using a watering can for the garden, and a bucket if the car could not wait for a clean.
Water levels in the Kaihu River, from which the Dargaville and Baylys Beach supply was drawn, fluctuated significantly, depending on rainfall and runoff, and the amount the council could take was limited.
"The council is acutely aware water supply for Dargaville is a real challenge during the summer months, and water restrictions are not a long-term solution … We want to reassure residents that we are committed to increasing the security of Dargaville's water supply."
Nama said "significant progress" had been made on investigating two options for making the town's water supply more resilient, though both came at a cost.
More information would be provided in the New Year, he said.
Council chief executive Jason Marris earlier told the Northern Advocate that $100,000 had been allocated in 2022 to investigate expanding Waiatua Dam to boost the district's water storage capacity.
But that had been shelved when the previous government brought in its Three Waters legislation, which would have transferred all responsibility for water infrastructure in Northland and Auckland to a new organisation.
When the coalition government binned the Three Waters plan, responsibility fell back on to local councils.
Marris said the options currently under investigation were upgrading the council-owned Waiatua Dam or connecting to the Te Tai Tokerau Water Trust dam on Pouto Peninsula.
Both were likely to cost around $16 million.
Meanwhile, Dixon said two private plan changes approved by the council this year would allow another 800-plus homes to be built in Dargaville, further increasing demand for water.
Those developments could, however, bring in more rates, allowing the council to invest in infrastructure.
"I do understand council's struggles with affordability, given the number of ratepayers in our patch. But this is something they could have started planning for a decade ago, because they knew it was an issue then, and they haven't. That lack of foresight and planning is why people are angry and upset."
Dixon said she was pleased the current government had directed councils to prioritise spending on basic infrastructure.
Northland Regional Council data shows the Dargaville area has received only about 70 percent of its normal rainfall during winter and spring 2024.
Elsewhere in Northland, three water schemes in the Far North are under level two restrictions, which bar the use of sprinklers and irrigation systems.
They are Kawakawa-Moerewa, Ōmanaia-Rāwene and Ōpononi-Ōmāpere.
There are currently no water restrictions in the Whangārei District.
